Dispenser with trap chamber and pivoted releaser



Dec. 3, 1968 M. LEONFORTE 3,414,162

DISPENSER WITH TRAP CHAMBER AND PIVOTED RELEASER Filed Nov. 9, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 0 5 I N VEN TOR. F/y. MCHELE LEO/VFOETE.

Dec. 3, 1968 v M. LEONFORTE 3,414,162

DISPENSER WITH TRAP CHAMBER AND PIVOTED RELEASER Filed Nov. 9, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q9: i 78 70 15L //7///A 9 INVENTOR. MICHELE LEfl/VFOETE United States Patent Ofice 3,414,162 Patented Dec. 3, 1968 3,414,162 DISPENSER WITH TRAP CHAMBER AND PIVOTED RELEASER Michele Leonforte, 19 Juniper Road, Kings Park, N.Y. 11754 Filed Nov. 9, 1967, Ser. No. 681,669 3 Claims. (Cl. 221266) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A dispenser of circular discs having a storage chamber wherein the discs may be distributed at random and induced to roll down curved surfaces into a groove. The discs assume an aligned, standing position in the groove and are fed sequentially therefrom into a manually operated ejecting mechanism.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates to dispensers of circular, discshaped articles such as are employed as markers in bingo games and the like. The dispensers involved may also be employed for dispensing medicines, candies and other substances which have a disc-shaped conformation.

Description of the prior art conventionally, dispensers of the above described character incorporate a chamber for reception of the members to be dispensed, a channel communicating with the chamber and capable of receiving said members, and means for permitting the escape of the members as desired by the user.

However, while the prior art includes a variety of such dispensers, they suffer from a variety of deficiencies. Their design is often complex and difficult to form, thereby rendering them unduly expensive. Moreover, the arrangement of their channels is such that the flow therethrough of the members to be dispensed is often impeded or clogged so as to render the dispensers, at least temporarily inoperative.

Beyond this, conventional dispensers often employ complex mechanisms for insuring in their storage chambers a random arrangement of the members to be dispensed and for dispensing them in sequence from the channels of the dispensers. These mechanisms are expensive, may require maintenance from time to time and are subject to mechanical failure.

The present invention solves these difficulties.

In this connection, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved, inexpensively formed dispenser of simple design which incorporates a channel wherein the members to'be dispensed may be disposed without risk of clogging therein.

Another object of the invention is to provide a dispenser of the character described wherein one or more circular, disc-shaped members may be dispensed through the channel as desired.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a dispenser from which said circular, disc-shaped members may be sequentially dispensed with great speed.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following discussion when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the present invention, there is provided a housing having a storage chamber for receiving a plurality of circular, disc-shaped members. In the lower part of the chamber, a pair of curved, inclined surfaces extend marginally of a groove which can accommodate the disc-shaped members in an aligned position, the said curved, inclined surfaces inducing the disc-shaped members to enter into the groove.

The housing is then inclined so as to permit the discshaped members to roll into contact with a manually operable trigger mechanism which can accommodate one or more of the disc-shaped members, depending upon the speed of actuation of the trigger mechanism, thereby ejecting the disc-shaped members from the housing.

In a modified form of the invention, the disc-shaped members are ejected by means of a manually rotatable wheel which incorporates cavities wherein said members are successively received and thereafter ejected from the htilusilng in accordance with the speed of rotation of the w ee BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of one form of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of said form of the invention wherein the housing of the internal members of the invention is shown in cross-section;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken about the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional elevation of the internal members of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken about the line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of the trigger mechanism employed in the aforesaid form of the invention;

I FIG. 7 is an isometric view of a modified form of the invention;

FIG. 8 is an elevational view of said modified form of the invention wherein the housing of the internal members of the modified form of the invention is shown in crosssection;

FIG. 9 is an elevational view taken about the line 9-9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional elevation of the internal members of the modified form of the invention;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken about the line 1111 of FIG. 10.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The present invention may be employed to dispense a variety of disc-shaped members. For example, it may be used for dispensing disc-shaped candies, metal tokens, medical pills and the like. It is also useful for dispensing disc-shaped markers such as are employed in bingo games and in other games where it is desired to etfect a random distribution of the markers prior to their distribution to the players of the games.

As may be seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings, one embodiment of the present invention includes a housing, generally designated by the numeral 20 and having a top wall 21, bottom wall 22, opposing side walls 23 and an end wall 24 provided with a rectangular aperture 25. The housing 20 also has an open end portion opposite said end wall 24, said open end portion being engaged with a removable closure member 26. The said housing 20 may be composed of cardboard, plastic, metal, wood or other suitable material.

In using this form of the invention, the closure member 26 is removed so as to permit a plurality of disc-shaped members to be disposed within the region 28. The closure member 26 is then engaged with the open end portion of the housing so as to assume the position depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the housing 20 may be shaken by the user so as to cause the disc-shaped members therein to assume a random distribution and thereafter make contact with the convex shoulders 29 provided on a receptacle 27 at the lower portion of region 28.

The convex form of said shoulders 29 will tend to induce the disc-shaped members to roll or otherwise slide into a channel having a planar base 30 and upright side walls 31, the width of said channel being slightly greater than the thickness of said disc-shaped members, thereby inducing them to assume an aligned, upright position such as that depicted in FIG. 4 where they are designated by the numeral 32 and their circumferential peripheries are disposed upon said planar base .30.

Said receptacle 27 is also provided with a suitable yoke, generally designated by the numeral 33, which supports the top wall 21 of the housing 20 and which also supports means for ejecting the disc-shaped members 32, as hereinafter described.

The yoke 33 includes upright members 34, 35, a connecting member 36 contactable with the top wall 21, and a base portion 38 disposed above the aforesaid channel. The connecting member 36 and the bottom surface 39 of the receptacle 27 are in supporting contact with the top and bottom walls 21, 22 of the housing 20; and the sides 40 are also in supporting contact with the side walls 23 of the housing 20, thereby preventing accidental deformation thereof. The receptacle 27 is also slidably removable from the housing 20, when desired, upon disengagement of the closure member 26 from said housing 20.

The upright member 35 is bifurcated to form a slotted region 41, said upright member 35 also including aligned circular apertures 42 (see FIG. 5) which extend transversely of the slotted region 42 and accommodate a shaft 43.

A depressible trigger, generally designated by the numeral 44, is also disposed within the slotted region 42 and includes a lever 45 projecting from the slotted region 42 and through the rectangular aperture 25 formed in the end wall 24 of the housing 20.

A pair of flanges 46 depend from the lever 45. The said shaft 43 projects through the flanges 46 and is surmounted by a torsion spring 48. One arm 49 of the torsion spring 48 is seated upon the lower surface of the lever 45 and the other arm 50 of the torsion spring 48 is seated within the upright member 35, as at 50a, thereby yieldably biasing the lever 45 against depression.

A rearward finger 51 and a forward finger 52 are also accommodated within the slotted region 41 and depend from the lever 45. When the lever 45 is in its normal, i.e., its undepressed position, as depicted in FIG. 4, it opposes exit of the disc-shaped members 32 from the channel in which they are confined. However, when the lever 45 is manually depressed, the rearward finger is rotatably disposed within a slot 53 provided in the base portion 38, said rearward finger thereby being retracted from said channel to permit movement of one or more of the disc-shaped members 32 into a position intermediate of said rearward finger 51 and said forward finger 52, the latter also being rotated by depression of the lever 45 to a position in said channel where the forward finger 52 obstructs exit of the disc-shaped members from the channel.

The spaced relation between the rearward finger 51 and forward finger 52 is preferably designed to accommodate a plurality of said disc-shaped members 32 which will tend to roll between said fingers 51, 52 when the housing 20 and receptacle 27 are inclined by the user.

When the lever 45 is released, the rearward finger 51 will make contact with the disc-shaped member or mem-' bers 32 which have been disposed between the rearward and forward fingers 51, 52, thereby urging said member or members 32 out of the channel and through the rectangular aperture 25, the forward finger 52 being retracted to the position depicted in FIG. 4 when the lever 45 is released, said forward finger 52 thereby being withdrawn from its depressed position whereby it obstructed exit of the disc-shaped members 32.

If it be desired to eject the disc-shaped members 32 one at a time, the user must depress and release the lever 45 quickly so as to permit only one of said discshaped members 32 to be accommodated between the rearward and forward fingers 51, 52 during any one cycle of said depressing and releasing operations. When more than one disc-shaped member 32 are sought to be ejected at any one time, the lever 45 should be depressed for a longer interval of time so as to permit a plurality of said disc-shaped members to be accommodated between the rearward and forward fingers 51, 52 before release of the lever 45.

The depression and release of lever 45 may be accomplished as often as desired, thereby effecting sequential ejection of any desired quantity of said disc-shaped members 32.

A modified form of the present invention is depicted in FIGS. 7 through 11. As may be seen in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, said modified form of the invention includes a housing, generally designated by the numeral 60 and having a top wall 61, bottom wall 62, opposing side walls 63 and an end wall 64 provided with a rectangular aperture 65. The housing 60 also has an open end portion opposite said end wall- 64, said open end portion being engaged with a removable closure member 66. As in the case of the first-described form of the invention, the housing 60 may be composed of cardboard, plastic, metal, wood or other suitable material.

Within the housing 60, a receptacle, generally designated by the numeral 68, is removably received. The receptacle 69 includes a hollow, cylindrical container 69 provided with a removable end cap or cover 70. The lower portion of the container 69 includes a pair of flanges 71 which depend from the wall of the container 69 and define a slot 72 therein. Said flanges 71 abut against the upright side walls 73 of a channel provided in said receptacle 68 and are secured in said position by an adhesive or by other suitable means. The channel is provided with a planar base 74.

In using this form of the invention, the closure member 66 and cover 70 are removed so as to permit a plurality of disc-shaped members to be disposed within the cylindrical container 69. The cover 70 is then engaged with the container 69 and the closure member 66 is engaged with the open end portion of the housing 60. The housing 60 may then be shaken by the user so as to cause the disc-shaped members to assume a random distribution and thereafter make contact with the curved internal surface of the cylindrical container 69.

This curved internal surface will tend to induce the disc-shaped members to roll or otherwise slide into the slot 72 and channel provided in the receptacle 68, the width of said slot 72 being slightly greater than the thickness of said disc-shaped members, thereby inducing them to assume an aligned, upright position such as that depicted in FIG. 10 where they are designated by the numeral 75 and their circumferential peripheries are disposed upon the planar base 74 of said channel.

The receptacle 68 is also provided with a suitable yoke, generally designated by the numeral 76, which also supports means for ejecting the disc-shaped members 75, as hereinafter described.

The yoke 76 includes an upright member 78 having a bifurcated portion defining a slotted region 79 and a pair of aligned apertures 80,81 extending transversely of said "slotted region 79. Ashaft 82 is disposed within said aligned apertures 80, 81 and is manually rotatable by means of a crank 83 provided witha lever 84 affixed to the shaft 82. I l ,V

A wheel 85 surmounts the shaft 82 and is rotatable thereby, said wheel 85 being provided with a plurality of cavities 86, 88, each of which is adapted to receive one of said disc-shaped members from the channel in the receptacle 68, said channel including an intermediate portion 89 communicating between the interior of the cylindrical container 69 and the slotted region 79, the intermediate portion 89 being defined by an upper Wall 90, side walls 91 and supporting flanges 92 surmounting a platform 93 provided on the receptacle 68.

When the receptacle 68 is inclined and the shaft 82 rotated, each of the disc-shaped members 75 will roll into one of the cavities 88 in the Wheel 85 in the position depicted in FIGS. and 11; each of said discshaped members 75 then being carried one at a time to a position adjacent the rectangular aperture 65 in the end wall 64 of the housing 60 from whence it may be discharged. The rate of discharge will be directly proportional to the speed of rotation of the wheel 85 and the number of cavities 88 formed therein.

The external periphery of the receptacle 68 is also abuttable. against the internal surface of the housing 60 so as to support it against accidental deformation; and said receptacle 68 is slidably removable from the housing 60, if desired.

The embodiments of the invention illustrated and described hereinabove have been selected for the purpose of clearly setting forth the principles involved. It will be apparent, however, that the present invention is susceptible to being modified in respect to details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts which may be resorted to without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. A dispenser of circular, disc-shaped members, comprising in combination:

(a) a housing including:

(i) top, bottom and opposing side walls;

(ii) an end wall provided with a rectangular aperture;

(iii) an open end portion engaged with a removable closure member;

(iv) -a chamber for receiving a plurality of said circular, disc-shaped members;

(b) a receptacle removably disposed within said housing and provided with:

(i) a channel having a planar base and upright side walls;

(ii) a pair of curved shoulders communicating with said upright side walls;

(iii) said channel and curved side walls being adjacent to "said chamber for receiving a plurality of said circular, disc-shaped members;

(c) said disc-shaped members being disposed upon their circumferential peripheries and aligned parallel to said planar base when received within said channel;

((1) said receptacle having a yoke provided with:

(i) an upright portion adjacent to said shoulders and said aperture;

(ii) said upright portion being disposed abovea part of said channel and defining a bifurcated portion having a slotted region;

(iii) a pair of aligned circular apertures extending transversely of said lotted region;

(e) a shaft disposed within said aligned circular apertures;

(f) a depressible trigger disposed within said slotted region and including:

(i) a lever extending through the rectangular aperture in the housing;

(ii) a pair of opposing flanges depending from said lever; I (iii) said shaft projecting through said opposing flanges;

(iv) a rearward finger depending from said lever and disposable in a releasable, yieldably depressed position;

(v) said rearward finger being engageable with a rearward portion of at least one of said circular, disc-shaped members when said rearward finger is released from said yieldably depressed position;

(vi) said rearward finger urging said circular, discshaped member outwardly of said channel and rectangular aperture when said trigger is released from its depressed position;

(vii) a forward finger depending from said lever and obstructing exit of said circular, disc-shaped member from said channel and rectangular aperture when said trigger is in a depressed position, said forward finger permitting exit of said circular, disc-shaped member when said trigger is released from its depressed position;

(viii) a torsion spring engaged with said shaft and biasing said trigger against depression and towards said released position.

2. In a device according to claim 1:

(a) said rearward and forward fingers being in spaced relation whereby a plurality of said circular, discshaped members may be accommodated therebetween;

(b) said rearward finger extending in said channel when the trigger is in said released position.

3. A dispenser of circular, disc-shaped members comprising in combination:

(a) a housing including:

(i) top, bottom and opposing side walls;

(ii) an end wall provided with a rectangular aperture;

(iii) an open end portion engaged with a removable closure member;

(b) a receptacle removably disposed within said housing and provided with:

(i) a cylindrical container adapted to receive a plurality of said circular, disc-shaped members;

(ii) said cylindrical container having an open end portion engaged with a removable cover;

(iii) said cylindrical container having a slotted portion;

(iv) a channel having a planar base and upright side walls;

(v) said upright sidewalls accommodating said slotted portion of the cylindrical container;

(vi) a plurality of saidtdisc-shaped members being receivablein said channel;

(0) said disc-shaped members being disposed upon their circumferential; peripheries and aligned parallel to said planar base when received within said channel;

(d) said receptacle having a yoke provided with:

(i) an upright portion including a bifurcated member defining a slotted region;

(ii) a pair of aligned circular apertures extending transversely of said slotted region;

(e) a shaft disposed within said aligned circular apertures and provided with a rotatable crank disposed externally of the housing;

(f) a wheel engaged with the shaft and including at least one cavity wherein each of said circular, discshaped members is receivable from said channel;

(is) said wheel being rotatable to disposed said cavity ad acent said rectangular aperture, thereby permitting ejection of said circular disc-shaped members from said cavity and through said rectangular aperure.

(References on following page) References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Linsley 221--301 X Kowastch et a1. 221301 X 5 Mann 221266 Priddy 221--301 X Ahlstrom 221-300 X Shough 221-301 X Semsch 221-299 Meierjohan 221277 X SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner. 

